We’ve just introduced you to German artist, Sorina Keifer, and her protest anthem, ‘AMERICA’. Now we spend time with Sorina herself, and take the opportunity to ask about her musical journey, her inspirations, and what lies ahead.
Talk to us a little bit about your musical origins and journey thus far.
When I was a kid my mom took me to church every Sunday and I was just fascinated by the organ. She didn’t have much money, but with my grandparents’ help, I could take piano lessons. I had a great teacher and soon I was coming up with little melodies. Unfortunately, he moved to another country after two years and the teachers I had then were just horrible, so I stopped. But my love for music never stopped. I’m also a passionate dancer and in my teenage years, I was able to work with Sean Cheesman, the choreographer of Micheal and Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and many others. He influenced me a lot and we would dance to all kinds of music; Pop, Heavy Metal, R’n’B, African music, Hip Hop, Jazz… In my twenties, I shifted my focus to acting and singing and began to turn the poems I wrote into music, discovering my voice as a songwriter.
As a multi-faceted artist, what inspired you to write and release “AMERICA?”
Writing “America” was necessary for me, because I don’t want to remain silent about the changes that are happening there. It’s my way of transforming the feeling of powerlessness in a crazy world into a call to action, to take responsibility for the choices we make.
How important is it for you as an artist to share music that feels authentic? In what ways does “AMERICA” showcase your personality and perspective?
Authenticity is the most important thing to me. I need to stand up for what I believe in, and I believe in equality, science, education, in human decency, and a way of life that doesn’t destroy the planet we live on – all things a certain person about to take office in January does not stand for. I’m very worried about the direction America is headed but I’m not going to sit back and watch. I know there are so many like-minded people out there and I want to reach them with this song and encourage them to keep up the good fight.
What inspired the imagery in the “AMERICA” music video? Talk us through your vision and the production process.
The imagery of “America” was inspired by the simultaneity of realities that exist in America, it’s history, and also where it might be headed. All the turmoil, the worries, the beauty, the hopes, the fears, the superficiality, the clichés – in short, everyday life. A very good friend of mine, actor and director Murat Yeginer, had the idea that I could look like a Hollywood diva, representing glamorous America, while the world behind me is overrun by chaos. I chose all the visuals running in the background, and Oliver Mohr, the director of the video, had the idea to turn them into a split screen, so it would look like there were a lot of TVs behind me (in reality, they were just cardboard boxes on which we projected the images
Were there any specific visuals or symbols in the video that were important to you in terms of representing the song’s message?
Yes, we can see a pregnant woman being alone and looking worried – it hit me hard that the situation for women in America has gotten a lot worse since they overturned Roe v. Wade, that a lot of men wanna take control over women’s life choices and see them back in the kitchen. But honestly, every image was and is of importance and shows a different aspect of America.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced while working on the song or the video, and how did you overcome it?
I’m actually facing the biggest obstacle right now – finding my audience. Since this is my first song I don’t have a fan base yet. I’m curious to see how it all develops, and how to reach people who are interested in my music.
What do you hope audiences take away from “AMERICA?” How do you hope to inspire listeners with your message?
As I’ve said before, I wanna transform the feeling of powerlessness in a crazy world into a call to action, hoping that people will find strength in a like-minded community and continue to fight for a world that stands for openness, equality and human decency. In general, I want to reach people through entertaining music with challenging themes.
What’s next for you? Is “AMERICA” part of an upcoming album or project? What projects do you hope to work on next?
Next, I’ll do an acoustic version of “America”, but I have a lot of songs about societal and personal struggles waiting to be produced and released. Songs about female empowerment, the environment, family, mental health and of course poetic songs about love. My original plan was to do a series of EPs, where I would have the overall theme “In Between” and then each EP would have a theme like “Family”, “Love” and so on. But I want to keep the high quality of “America”, so it will take some time and some funding I also have this whole other life, where I work as an actress and choreographer, and there are already a lot of theatre projects waiting for me – I love that I get to make art on so many different levels.
Watch the music video for ‘AMERICA’ below, and follow Sorina Kiefer online on Instagram.
